Premair
Premair in Seattle advertises various type rating courses. I chose to do their 737-400 series TR course, a standard FAR Part 142 approved program of 24 hour sim time, split 12 hours hands-on left seat and 12 hours right seat co-pilot. The checkride is based on captain qualification, i.e. left seat, so in reality it's just 12 hours hands-on training to reach PTS standards. If you do not have jet time, it's highly unlikely you will qualify in 12 hours but Premair does not disclose that fact and in my case I ran out of time, partly my fault for trying to squeeze too much in. I decided I'd hold off on the checkride and think about coming back in a few months when I had more time. I asked for a refund and that's when the trouble started. Premair's staff found every reason not to refund, claiming they'd already paid the simulator center (Alaska Airlines). Every email came back with a different and new reason why they wouldn't refund.
I spoke to one of their examiners and he told me about a student who ended up needing 32 hours of sim time and at $600 an hour you can imagine how expensive that became.
The problem with Premair and I guess the problem with all these TR schools is they are too competitive and refuse to be upfront with students. Unless you've got jet time a 12 hour course is not realistically achieveable. If Premair had been honest and told me that in reality I should budget for say 20hours and 3-4 weeks that would have been fine but to keep silent in the hope that once they've hooked you your stuck, is neither fair or ethical behavior.
So my advise is, check the contract thoroughly before you commit. Does the school have a refund policy? What is it's policy on charging additional time? What should I budget for financially and how much time will I need to spend away from home. Call the schools local FAA office, check to make sure they have got a certificate and it's clean. Get these asked and be satisfied before you hand over a penny. American flight schools have a reputation for doing their utmost to wriggle out of any contractual obligation if they can possibly do so.